{"id":210252,"date":"2026-01-08T23:44:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T05:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=210252"},"modified":"2026-01-08T23:44:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T05:44:51","slug":"vip-podcast-1-8-the-fix-mailbag-w-todd-wade-pt-2-of-2-la-knight-wwe-unreal-match-scripting-tony-khan-as-a-heel-character-okada-backlash-mercedes-lars-white-castle-burgers-92-mi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/01\/08\/vip-podcast-1-8-the-fix-mailbag-w-todd-wade-pt-2-of-2-la-knight-wwe-unreal-match-scripting-tony-khan-as-a-heel-character-okada-backlash-mercedes-lars-white-castle-burgers-92-mi\/","title":{"rendered":"VIP PODCAST 1\/8 \u2013 The Fix Mailbag w\/Todd &#038; Wade (pt. 2 of 2): LA Knight, WWE Unreal, match scripting, Tony Khan as a heel character, Okada backlash, Mercedes, Lars, White Castle burgers (92 min.)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-598954399\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><strong>SHOW SUMMARY: <\/strong>In this week\u2019s The Fix Mailbag with PWTorch VIP analyst Todd Martin and host PWTorch editor Wade Keller, they answer emails from VIP members on the following topics:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Will Kazuchika Okada face a backlash from AEW fans or colleagues this year?<\/li>\n<li>Was the Mercedes Mone belt collector gimmick effective?<\/li>\n<li>Is it fair to say AEW is &#8220;a heel territory&#8221; given that Tony Khan seems to like heel champions with babyface on the chase?<\/li>\n<li>Sami Zayn<\/li>\n<li>The state of the Janel Grant lawsuit (plus what is Todd&#8217;s day-to-day legal job)?<\/li>\n<li>Athlete biographies and autobiographies<\/li>\n<li>Lars Sullivan<\/li>\n<li>Why does TKO seem to budget conscious except when it comes to flying in wrestlers for brief backstage vignettes?<\/li>\n<li>2016<\/li>\n<li>Do pro wrestling media outlets have legitimate insider knowledge or is speculation mnosty reported as news?<\/li>\n<li>Could L.A. Knight be a surprise winner of the Royal Rumble?<\/li>\n<li>Could C.M. Punk have worked out long-term in AEW if not for the Jack Perry incident?<\/li>\n<li>Should Tony Khan have turned into a heel character during the Punk situation like Vince McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob?<\/li>\n<li>Why did WWE play theme songs for Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and Penta they entered through the crowd ostensibly unexpectedly?<\/li>\n<li>Did New Japan waste some top talent in the opening gauntlet match?<\/li>\n<li>Wolf<\/li>\n<li>WWE Unreal season one<\/li>\n<li>Scripting of matches in WWE<\/li>\n<li>Is New Japan worth seeing in person outside of Japan?<\/li>\n<li>What format of PLE&#8217;s is better between Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque?<\/li>\n<li>Drew McIntyre&#8217;s stipulations for Three Stages of Hell<\/li>\n<li>Upsides for new NXT call-ups and is it too late for Montez Ford?<\/li>\n<li>Aaron Wolf<\/li>\n<li>Bron Breakker&#8217;s bad landings<\/li>\n<li>White Castle!<\/li>\n<li>AEW&#8217;s risk taking style impact compared to WWF steroid era impact on wrestlers health long term?<\/li>\n<li>Ava!<\/li>\n<li>Mercedes losing titles rapidly<\/li>\n<li>The Young Bucks one-week hiatus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Email: <a href=\"mailto:thefixmailbag@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">thefixmailbag@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>View the list of books Todd Martin has reviewed with their placements from Tier 1 to Tier 5. <a href=\"https:\/\/vip.pwtorch.com\/vip-sections\/todd-martin-collection\/\">CLICK HERE<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>DIRECT LINK: <\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/android\/legacyuploads\/wp-media\/2026\/01\/20260108TM2.mp3\">VIP AUDIO LINK<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>NOT VIP? NO PROBLEM\u2026<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorchvipinfo.com\">CLICK HERE FOR VIP SIGN UP INFO<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>OTHER LINKS&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Or support us on Patreon&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/pwtorchvip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/pwtorchvip&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1751173881549000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Q7ZrxqjTjmliv0ww4ly6q\">https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/<wbr \/>pwtorchvip<\/a><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1667488838\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Subscribe to our YouTube Channel&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/pwtorch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/pwtorch&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1751173881549000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0UdLztcgHotVkox8U_nu8E\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/<wbr \/>pwtorch<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on Blue Sky&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/pwtorch.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/pwtorch.bsky.social&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1751173881549000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0srWkoArAQ4Gwtief8lXhc\">https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/<wbr \/>pwtorch.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Emails&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:kellerwade@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">kellerwade@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:pwtorch@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pwtorch@gmail.com<\/a><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3859272598\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-157343139\"><div id=\"pwtor-1500940604\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>SHOW SUMMARY: In this week\u2019s The Fix Mailbag with PWTorch VIP analyst Todd Martin and host PWTorch editor Wade Keller, they answer emails from VIP members on the following topics: Will Kazuchika Okada face a <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/01\/08\/vip-podcast-1-8-the-fix-mailbag-w-todd-wade-pt-2-of-2-la-knight-wwe-unreal-match-scripting-tony-khan-as-a-heel-character-okada-backlash-mercedes-lars-white-castle-burgers-92-mi\/\" title=\"VIP PODCAST 1\/8 \u2013 The Fix Mailbag w\/Todd &#038; Wade (pt. 2 of 2): LA Knight, WWE Unreal, match scripting, Tony Khan as a heel character, Okada backlash, Mercedes, Lars, White Castle burgers (92 min.)\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,1360],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-210252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vipexclusivealerts","category-vip-podcasts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2022\/03\/TheFix2022.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210255,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210252\/revisions\/210255"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}